Post by vpainter on Oct 24, 2013 5:41:28 GMT

I went to the interviews on the 1st Sept, I was under the impression from the agency that the interviews were for direct Aramco Positions.

This wasn't the case, but for a contracting company called HAKA.

Originally my interview was for 4:30pm on the Sunday, but I was asked to get there as early as possible, I got to the hotel at around 11:40 and was shown straight into the interview room for the quickest interview of my life (I was still putting my tie on as I was sitting in the chair!), I showed my project portfolio (pictures of my previous projects) the interviewers both said yes, then reluctantly went through a quick round of standard questions. Then I was shown to a waiting area where an offer was shown, and I was given a bit of time to think. In the meantime my train ticket was taken and exchanged for cash (which was nice) all by about 12:05.

I was told I will have a vehicle type 4.3 ( not sure what that is, but have been told its a 4 wheel drive vehicle) the Position le is Engineering Technician in Dhrahan -Jazan Refinery and Terminal Projects Dept. (I'm speculating it would be a planning/ coordinating role) (took a photo of the offer I signed for record purposes.)

I come from a Construction Project Management background and have 18mnths Oil and Gas Experience from Modular substation projects on new build processing facilities.

I was contacted by the agency and I filled out numerous forms, I had my Medical/Visa App on the 27th Sept, Fairly painless straight forward exercise.

Today, Ive been told that I will mobilise on the 8th November.

Now onto the questions....

I have no idea where I am staying, what accommodation is included (if any)

If I need any driving licenses (read up that I will be fine at first with my UK License).

Post by Kimlabolton on Oct 31, 2013 12:30:35 GMT

Post by ES5 on Nov 2, 2013 18:22:59 GMT

I work as a contractor with HAK as well (Dhahran), so I can give some advice on what to expect.

As for your drivers license, you are NOT ok with your UK license. You will need to go to a local clinic and get a blood test (even if you have already had others) and submit the results of your blood type along with your native license in order to apply for a Saudi license. No driving until this is done. You will also take an eye test of course, but that's nothing. You will get a driver at first, but HAK only wants to provide you with this for a couple of weeks. If you need this service to continue for a matter of weeks, it's possible, but you will have to pay for it.

For accommodation, do not expect anything at all from HAK. They do not place you anywhere and neither will Aramco do anything for you in this regard. You must - and this is very important - take the bull by the horns immediately and ask your driver to PLEASE help you in in finding a place to live. This will basically mean him providing you with some ideas of where to go and driving you there after you get off of work. Do not expect any service in this regard on weekends. They do not have to do it, and in all likelihood they will not. I repeat, ask your driver - just between you and him in a private conversation in the vehicle when he is taking you to work or picking you up from it to take you home. HAK itself will not do this for you even on request. If you happen to be going to Dhahran to work and you want to cut right through this unpleasant experience - which I personally recommend you to do - you can PM me and I can hook you up with the contact of my building and you can probably find a place where I am. It's a decent location in Khobar and there are many expats here (Americans, Brits, S. Africans, Australians mostly, and a few of them are HAK to boot). Expect to pay around 800-1000 USD per month for it. If you take this route, you may be able to square something away before you even leave, which would be good for you to put it mildly. They guy who runs the leasing where I am is a Brit.

For what to expect on arrival:

If you are coming into Dammam airport, which you probably will be, you may well get to the Kingdom at night. I arrived in December of 2012 around 10:00 p.m. and stood in line at the Dammam airport passport control for about four-and-a-half hours. (This is normal by the way as the personnel at the airport are utterly indifferent to lines of people, especially as they are mostly filled with Asians, who are generally considered 4th or 5th class citizens here)

You will get to the passport window where you will be digitally fingerprinted and photographed. Try to smile as this picture will be used for your iqama and your drivers license, which you should receive, provided everything starts immediately, in about 2-4 weeks.

You will get out of the airport well after midnight (probably closer to 03:00 a.m.) and your driver - ticked off, but polite as he has been through it repeatedly - will take you to a run down motel (again, if you are going to Dhahran) located across the street from a supermarket (although there is a Domino's pizza and Burger King close by to ease your pain), which is a dump and comes out of your pocket. See housing priority above to get out of this as quickly as possible.

You will be given a few hours to get some sleep and then they will pick you up again mid-morning to go to the HAK office. There you will be briefed on things like salary, bank account opening, and some other things. HAK will then advance you some money till your first paycheck. After that - still on your first day - you will go to a local hospital for another medical (yes, you have already done it in your own country, but you are going to do it again). You will give blood, urine, and stool again just like before.

After that, you will be able to go back to your motel for a night of sleep and then report to work the following morning (provided it is a workday of course).

Up to now, HAK has responded to all your queries quickly and courteously about everything that has crossed your mind. This changes immediately upon arrival. Don't get me wrong, they are not bad; they will just have accomplished their mission - getting you to the Kingdom and delivering you to Aramco. You will still deal with them for all your details in the Kingdom and they will be helpful. It just changes. You are here now. Their response time slows accordingly and it can be frustrating.

You probably won't like HAK too much when you are here, but you probably will like working at Aramco. The people are cool, and Brits - like others from first-world Anglo-Saxon nations - are treated with quite a lot of respect. You will make a lot of friends quickly and should really like the work-life balance. It is a good place to work overall. Just remember though that you work AT Aramco and not FOR Aramco. All your questions and concerns must go to HAK.

Also, be prepared for the fact that contractors do not have the same privileges that Aramcons do and there are certain places on the work compound that you cannot go. This seems minor now, but it's a bit annoying. You will understand this more when you get here.

My advice: Get your documents in order as soon as you possibly can. Find a bank and get your account sorted ASAP. There is SABB (Saudi Arabian British Bank), which is the Saudi version of HSBC (even designed the same) that may be good to start with. I bank there and it's alright. HAK has to provide you with a letter addressed to the bank manager in order to open that. Ask them to get this letter to you in your first meeting. You will have to pick up your salary in envelopes at their office until you get this done and then they can wire it to you as is customary.

Then, get a place to live. Getting to the hotel should be more than enough motivation for you by itself; but you really need to get this done within a week of arriving. Don't rest a day on it. Just trust me on this.

You may be issued a car. If so, this is great. If not, you need to get somewhere and buy one as quickly as possible. If you need to buy, ask someone in your office to show you the Aramco classifieds on the website. There are cars galore there from guys who are mostly leaving the Kingdom and you can get some good deals from fellow expats.

This should be enough to get you started on a decent footing. Apologies for the length, but I just wanted to offer a few points on things that would have made my first months a bit more amenable. Good luck.

Post by Kimlabolton on Nov 3, 2013 19:35:46 GMT

ES5,

Many thanks for the eloquence and brief. I understand that it is the usual practice for one to be ask for one year deposits for rent. So what is your advice for someone like me, who was told that I will be in Dharhan but will eventually be moved to Jazan. When this will happen I still do not have a clue.

You mentioned some USD800 - USD1000. Is this cost for house rent or the car rental arrangement?

Post by ndad on Nov 3, 2013 22:06:29 GMT

ES5,

Thanks for the detailed post. I wonder if you could expand on something you wrote in your post. Specifically about Asians being 4 th or 5 th class citizens?

I'm of Asian descent, born and educated in the UK and have applied for, and received a job with aramco but still have some contingencies outstanding. How much of an issue is race in the kingdom? Especially so if one isn't white?

I've heard of and seen videos of Asians being treated badly, simply because they happen to be Asian. How are things within aramco and what sort of reception should one expect?!

Post by ES5 on Dec 2, 2013 14:20:58 GMT

Kimlabolton,

o,Sorry for such a late response. I was on vacation.

It varies from place to place. Most of the time, when you show your work contract, the fact that you work at Aramco will get you some leeway. When I signed, I paid one month security, the first three months, and then three months at a time afterwards.

The 800-1000 number is the housing rent, and for that amount you should be getting a pretty nice 2 BR in Dhahran. Of course, there is always the foreigner price, which is obviously taken to another level when Aramco is in the picture; but you should get a nice place for that amount. If you are going to Jazan, just show the landlord proof of that work order and they will most likely accommodate you with less than a year's lease.

For transport, if you need to rent a ride from HAK, I think I remember paying around $50 per week. They will deduct it automatically from your pay. If your job requires you to do driving outside of an office, they may give you a car. If not, check the Aramco classifieds when you get wired in at the office. There are always pages full of decent deals on cars.

Post by Kamranosman on Dec 8, 2013 11:44:34 GMT

Post by ES5 on Dec 11, 2013 7:29:24 GMT

james_unlimited,

o,

I live in Dhahran actually, but am in the process of moving to Bahrain, wherein I hope to usher in the new year. I get very little time to spend on here, which is why my posts come out of the blue. I will log in when I get settled and send you a PM.

Post by DorserEng on Nov 4, 2014 9:46:01 GMT

Dear AllI just joined forum and would like to say big thank you to everyone participating and giving feedback.I'll be going for an interview in London in two weeks time and hopefully get an offer with HAKA as an HVAC Eng. Can anyone elaborate with more details about HVAC interview and on the job it self,responsibilities,structure of department,etc.